The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, Alain René le Sage [most read books .txt] 📗

of his secretaries. I advise you

not to hang back. The count is rich, and lives away at Madrid, on

the scale of an ambassador. He is said to have come to court on a

negotiation with the Duke of Lerma, respecting some crown lands

which that minister thinks of alienating in Sicily. In one word,

Count Galiano, though a Sicilian, has every feature of

generosity, fair dealing, and gentlemanly conduct. You cannot do

better than get upon that noble man’s establishment. In all

probability, the flattering prophecy respecting you at Grenada is

to be fulfilled in his person.

 

It was my full determination, said I to Nunez, to take my swing

about town and look at men and manners a little, before the

harness was buckled on my back again; but you paint your Sicilian

nobleman in colours which fascinate my imagination and change my

purpose. I should like to close with him at once. You will do so

very soon, replied he, or I am much deceived. We sallied forth

together immediately, and went to the count’s, who resided in the

house of his friend, Don Sancho d’Avila, the latter being then in

the country.

 

The court-yard was overrun with pages and footmen in rich and

elegant liveries, while the antechamber was blockaded by

esquires, gentlemen, and various officers of the household. They

were all as fine as possible, but with so whimsical an assortment

of features, that you might have taken them for a cluster of

monkeys dressed up to satirize the Spanish fashions. Do what you

will, there is a certain class of men and women in nature, whom

no art can trick out into anything human.

 

At the very name of Don Fabricio, a lane was formed for my

patron, and I followed in the rear. The count was in his

dressing-gown, sitting on a sofa and taking his chocolate. We

made our obeisance in the most respectful manner; while an

inclination of the head on his part, accompanied with a

condescending smile, won my heart at once. It is very wonderful,

and yet very common, how the most trifling notice from the great

penetrates the very soul of those who are not accustomed to it!

They must have behaved like fiends, before their behaviour will

be complained of.

 

After taking his chocolate, he recreated himself with the humours

of a large ape, which underwent the name of Cupid: why the ape

was made a god, or the god likened to an ape, the parties

concerned can best answer; the only point of resemblance seemed

to be mischief. At all events, this hairy brat of the sylvan

Venus had so gambolled himself into his master’s good graces, had

established such a character for wit and humour, that the life of

society was extinguished in his absence. As for Nunez and myself,

though we had a better turn for drollery, we were cunning enough

to chime in with the prevailing taste. The Sicilian was highly

delighted with this, and tore himself away for a moment from his

favourite pastime, just to tell me: My friend, you have only to

say whether you choose to be one of my secretaries. If the

situation suits you, the salary is two hundred pistoles a year.

If Don Fabricio gives you a character, that is enough. Yes, my

lord, cried Nunez, I am not such a cowardly fellow as Plato, who

introduced one of his friends to Dionysius the tyrant, and then

was afraid to back his own recommendation. But I have no anxiety

about being reproached on that head.

 

I thanked the poet of the Asturias with a low bow, for having so

much better an opinion of me than Plato had of his friend. Then

addressing my patron, I assured him of my zeal and fidelity. No

sooner did this good nobleman perceive his proposal to be

acceptable, then he rang for his steward, and after talking to

him apart, said to me: Gil Blas, I will explain the nature of

your post hereafter. Meanwhile, you have only to follow that

right-hand man of mine; he has his orders how to bestow you. I

immediately retreated, leaving Fabricio behind with the Count and

Cupid.

 

The steward, who came from Messina, and proved by all his actions

that he came thence, led the way to his own room, overwhelming me

all the while with the kindness of his reception. He sent the

tailor who lived upon the skirts of the household, and ordered

him to make me out of hand a suit of equal magnificence with

those of the principal officers. The tailor took my measure and

withdrew. As to lodging, said the native of Messina, I know a

room which will just suit you. But stay! Have you breakfasted? I

answered in the negative. Oh! poor shamefaced youth, replied he,

why did not you say so? Come this way: I will introduce you

where, thank heaven, you have only to ask and have.

 

So saying, he led me down into the buttery, where we found the

clerk of the kitchen, who was a Neapolitan, and of course a

complete match for his neighbour on the other side of the water.

It might be said of this pair that they were formed to meet by

nature. This honest clerk of the kitchen was doing justice to his

trade by cramming himself and five or six hangers-on with ham,

tongue, sausages, and other savoury compositions, which, besides

their own relish, possess the merit of engendering thirst: we

made common cause with these jolly fellows, and helped them to

toss off some of my lord the count’s best wines. While these

things were going on in the buttery, kindred exploits were

performing in the kitchen. The cook too was regaling three or

four tradesmen of his acquaintance, who liked good wine as well

as ourselves, nor disdained to stuff their craws with meat

pasties and game: the very scullions were at free quarters, and

filched whatever they pleased. I fancied myself in a house given

up to plunder; and yet what I saw was comparatively fair and

honest. These little festivities were laughing matters; but the

private transactions of the family were very serious.

 

CH. XV. — The employment of Gil Blas in Don Galiano’s household.

 

I WENT away to fetch my moveables to my new residence. On my

return the count was at table with several noblemen and the poet

Nunez, who called about him as if perfectly at home, and took a

principal share in the conversation. Indeed, he never opened his

lips without applause. So much for wit! with that commodity at

market, a man may pay his way in any company.

 

It was my lot to dine with the gentlemen of the household, who

were served nearly as well as their employer. After meal-time I

withdrew to ruminate on my lot. So far so good, Gil Blas! said I

to myself: here you are in the family of a Sicilian count, of

whose character you know nothing. To judge by appearances, you

will be as much in your element as a duck upon the water. But do

not make too sure! you ought to look askew at your horoscope,

whose unkindly position you have too often experienced with a

vengeance. Independent of that, it is not easy to conjecture what

he means you to do. There are secretaries and a steward already:

where can your post be? In all likelihood you are intended to

manage his little private affairs. Well and good! There is no

better luck about the house of a great nobleman, if you would

travel post haste to make your fortune. In the performance of

more honourable services, a man gets on only step by step, and

even at that pace often sticks by the way.

 

While these philosophical reflections were revolving in my mind,

a servant came to tell me that all the company was gone home, and

that my lord the count was inquiring for me. I flew immediately

to his apartment, where I found him lolling on the sofa, ready to

take his afternoon’s nap, with his monkey by his side.

 

Come nearer, Gil Blas, said he; take a chair, and hear me

attentively. I placed myself in an attitude of profound

listening, when he addressed me as follows. Don Fabricio has

informed me that, among other good qualities, you have that of

sincere attachment to your masters, and incorruptible integrity.

These are my inducements for proposing to take you into my

service. I stand in need of a friend in a domestic, to espouse my

interests and apply his whole heart and soul to the reform of my

establishment. My fortune is large, it must be confessed, but my

expenditure far exceeds my income every year. And how happens

that? Because they rob, ransack, and devour me. I might as well

be in a forest infested by banditti, as an inhabitant of my own

house. I suspect the clerk of the kitchen and my steward of

playing into one another’s hands; and unless my thoughts are

unjust as well as uncharitable, they are pushing forward as fast

as they can to ruin me beyond redemption. You will ask me what I

have to do but send them packing, if I think them scoundrels. But

then where are others to be got of a better breed? It will be

sufficient to place them under the eye of a man who shall be

invested with the right of control over their conduct; and you

have I chosen to execute this commission. If you discharge it

well, be assured that your services will not be repaid with

ingratitude. I shall take care to provide you with a very

comfortable settlement in Sicily.

 

With this he dismissed me; and that very evening, in the presence

of the whole household, I was proclaimed principal manager and

surveyor-general of the family. Our gentlemen of Messina and

Naples expressed no particular chagrin at first, because they

considered me as a spark of mettle like their own, and took it

for granted, that though the loaf was to be shared with a third,

there would always be cut and come again for the triumvirate. But

they looked inexpressibly foolish the next day, when I declared

myself in serious terms a decided enemy to all peculation and

underhand dealing. From the clerk of the kitchen I required the

buttery accounts without varnish or concealment. I went down into

the cellar. The furniture of the butler’s pantry underwent a

strict examination, particularly in the articles of plate and

linen. Next I read them a serious lecture on the duty of acting

for their employer as they would for themselves; exhorted them to

adopt a system of economy in their expenditure; and wound up my

harangue with a protestation, that his lordship should be

acquainted with the very first instance of any unfair tricks that

I should discover in the exercise of my office.

 

But I had not yet got to the length of my tether. There was still

wanting a scout to ascertain whether they had any private

understanding. I fixed upon a scullion, who, won over by my

promises, told me that I could not have applied to a better

person to be informed of all that was passing in the family; that

the clerk of the kitchen and the steward were one as good as the

other, and agreed to burn the candle at both ends; that half the

provisions bought for the table were made perquisites by these

gentlemen; that the Neapolitan kept a lady who lives opposite St.

Thomas’s college, and his colleague, not to be outdone, provided

another next door to the Sungate; that these two nymphs had their

larder regularly supplied every morning, while the cook,

following a good example,